Yard Hydrants

plumboy · May 16, 2006

I agree about the concrete personaly,but a 18"x2" pad breaks up easy with a sledge and only cost a couple of bucks to put down and makes a nice base for the hydrant.I find it hard to believe someone would run a line and stick galv pipe with a stop on it any where theres a chance of freezing.All the trouble of running a line somewhere just to jimmy it up.

Mace · May 16, 2006

That is an excellent ideal....backflushing the line if it wont drain. Are there any tell tale signs that the hydrant is not draining sshort of it freezing up?

Mace · May 16, 2006

That is an excellent ideal....backflushing the line if it wont drain. Are there any tell tale signs that the hydrant is not draining sshort of it freezing up?

KentT · May 16, 2006

( Hmmm. Do ya suppose it just might get a bit colder in Utah than it does in Arkansas?

Nah, couldn't be. If it worked in Arkansas it MUST work in Utah!

Except it won't. Galv pipe will break in Utah. )
Actually, I'm talking about a system that I put in just south of Ogden, Utah. -- You're replying to me about Arkansas -- where's that coming from?

1. There was no mention earlier of needing to keep water running in the system all winter...

2. If you shut off the water to a system with self-draining valves, they will drain the water out of the lines... it takes water pressure in the line to keep those self-draining valves closed.

I had seven manual lawn sprinkler lines set up with self-draining valves set at low points in each line, in addition to two similar irrigation lines run to opposite corners of my garden. On the irrigation lines, I used 4' sections of galvanized pipe to come up out of the ground. I had two valves on each pipe. One, at the top was a shutoff valve, and above it was a brass "Rainbird-type" sprinker head. Farther down the pipe, I used a 'tee" and put in a normal spigot for using water hoses (primarily soaker hoses). I could close the shutoff valve, and the spigots worked just like one attached to the house. Or, I could open the shutoff valve (closing the spigot) and use it as an elevated sprinkler. With one at each corner of my 60x60 garden, I could water the entire garden that way. Or, I could use soaker hoses or smaller sprinkers from hoses on the spigots....

At the end of the season, I turned the water off to the lines, opened the spigot and the shutoff valve, and the water drained out so the line wouldn't freeze...

Not sure if this applies to the original poster's needs, because he still hasn't said exactly what he intends to use these hydrants for, or whether they need to be used in the winter...

Others are jumping in with their assumptions... but he hasn't said....

Galvanized pipe will freeze and burst in Utah if you leave water in the lines -- any type of pipe will that I'm aware of...

KentT · May 16, 2006

( Hmmm. Do ya suppose it just might get a bit colder in Utah than it does in Arkansas?

Nah, couldn't be. If it worked in Arkansas it MUST work in Utah!

Except it won't. Galv pipe will break in Utah. )
Actually, I'm talking about a system that I put in just south of Ogden, Utah. -- You're replying to me about Arkansas -- where's that coming from?

1. There was no mention earlier of needing to keep water running in the system all winter...

2. If you shut off the water to a system with self-draining valves, they will drain the water out of the lines... it takes water pressure in the line to keep those self-draining valves closed.

I had seven manual lawn sprinkler lines set up with self-draining valves set at low points in each line, in addition to two similar irrigation lines run to opposite corners of my garden. On the irrigation lines, I used 4' sections of galvanized pipe to come up out of the ground. I had two valves on each pipe. One, at the top was a shutoff valve, and above it was a brass "Rainbird-type" sprinker head. Farther down the pipe, I used a 'tee" and put in a normal spigot for using water hoses (primarily soaker hoses). I could close the shutoff valve, and the spigots worked just like one attached to the house. Or, I could open the shutoff valve (closing the spigot) and use it as an elevated sprinkler. With one at each corner of my 60x60 garden, I could water the entire garden that way. Or, I could use soaker hoses or smaller sprinkers from hoses on the spigots....

At the end of the season, I turned the water off to the lines, opened the spigot and the shutoff valve, and the water drained out so the line wouldn't freeze...

Not sure if this applies to the original poster's needs, because he still hasn't said exactly what he intends to use these hydrants for, or whether they need to be used in the winter...

Others are jumping in with their assumptions... but he hasn't said....

Galvanized pipe will freeze and burst in Utah if you leave water in the lines -- any type of pipe will that I'm aware of...

plumboy · May 16, 2006

Mace,when you turn the hydrant on you should notice that it has to fill the galv pipe up before water shoots out.If you have instant water with a hydrant it has a problem.And that sounded like a good way to try to flush it out if thats the problem.Mostly the problem ones were put in clay with no way of draining.

plumboy · May 16, 2006

Mace,when you turn the hydrant on you should notice that it has to fill the galv pipe up before water shoots out.If you have instant water with a hydrant it has a problem.And that sounded like a good way to try to flush it out if thats the problem.Mostly the problem ones were put in clay with no way of draining.

Farwell · May 16, 2006

I installed the 6 foot hydrants, 4 foot under ground and 2 foot above ground. I used the black 1 inch polly for my supply lines. The drain back at the base of the hydrant I put in a 5 gallon bucket with the bottom cut out of it filled with pea gravel and wrapped in fine meshed high quality landscape cloth to try to keep dirt from getting into the pea gravel.
In some areas you are not supposed to use the drain back because of the fear of well/supply contamination and if the hydrant is inspected the inspector will make you plug the drain back and set the system up as a flush type system.
The frost line in my area of Michigan is 42 inches. You need to find out what the frost line is in your area and dig your trenches to the appropriate depth to keep it from freezing.
My system has been in place for 4 years and have not had a problem with it.
Farwell

Farwell · May 16, 2006

I installed the 6 foot hydrants, 4 foot under ground and 2 foot above ground. I used the black 1 inch polly for my supply lines. The drain back at the base of the hydrant I put in a 5 gallon bucket with the bottom cut out of it filled with pea gravel and wrapped in fine meshed high quality landscape cloth to try to keep dirt from getting into the pea gravel.
In some areas you are not supposed to use the drain back because of the fear of well/supply contamination and if the hydrant is inspected the inspector will make you plug the drain back and set the system up as a flush type system.
The frost line in my area of Michigan is 42 inches. You need to find out what the frost line is in your area and dig your trenches to the appropriate depth to keep it from freezing.
My system has been in place for 4 years and have not had a problem with it.
Farwell

BlueRidge · May 16, 2006

Kent, it came from HERE:

 save your money and just install galv pipe coming up with a faucet on the end: it will freeze, but it will not burst, unless you try to cover it up to protect it: do this on the ones your definetly not going to use when the temp is below freezing, and save youself a lot of money and future work...repairing messed up yard hydrants...been there.. heehaw